


The Lost Studio

by rootelea



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies), The Isle of the Lost Series - Melissa de la Cruz
Genre: Angst, Ben just wants to be loved, Enemies to Lovers, Everyone Needs A Hug, F/F, F/M, Jane is bearding for Carlos, M/M, Mal and Uma are cousins, Plot Twists, Rating may be Changed, Some very slowburn ships, Way Too Much Drama, dance au, first of a possible series?, heavily based off of the next step, kind of crack but also we stan
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-04
Updated: 2019-03-11
Packaged: 2019-11-04 21:52:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17906351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rootelea/pseuds/rootelea
Summary: The Lost Studio is a competitive dance studio going to Nationals for the first time in years. Mal, Dance Captain of A Troupe has her team all planned out, until a new girl suddenly appears and threatens to throw her ideal off balance. Their personal dramas blind them from the sabotage and scandals lurking under the surface that threaten to tear their team apart.





	1. The A Side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The studio celebrates their Regionals win with a party, which is rudely interrupted by an unwelcome guest and a proposition which could shake up A Troupe for good.

"Perfect."

Snow stepped back to admire the new shelf of her office, a large gold trophy standing tall and proud in the centre, on display for everyone to see. That was perhaps the best thing about having an office in the buildings main studio, with see-through glass windows. Of course, she could observe her dancers but just as importantly, visitors could observe their best accolade of the decade.

The Lost Dance Studio hadn't won Regionals in over 10 years. In fact, the last time they went to Nationals, Snow herself had been a part of the team. And now here she was, Studio Head and taking her team to Allegiant Dance Nationals, competing to be given the title of the best in the country. It was everything she had ever wanted for the studio. She turned around with a bright smile to look at the man sat on her office desk, matching her proud expression.

"Have you shown the photos to your mother yet?" He grinned.

Snow's mother had been the previous Studio Head and Owner, having bought and opened the studio in the late 1980s. Snow herself liked to think that every step closer towards winning Nationals brought her closer to her mom and closer to fulfilling her dreams and wishes for the team.

"She was supposed to come to the party today but she's going on some last minute weekend trip with some friends. I'll have her come down here at some point." She replied, looking to the photos in question. One, in particular, took its place with pride on the shelf beside the trophy. The 10 A-Troupe members of the Regionals team crowded together with their Captain, Mal, in the middle holding up the trophy with a pearly white proud smile. "We're gonna do it, Eric. I know we are." Snow turned back to the man.

"What would you do without me?"

Eric had been Head Choreographer at The Lost Studio for a few years now. Regionals had been an admittedly difficult year for personal reasons and he threw himself into his work, using that passion and emotion to assist the team and create two of the best routines they'd ever performed. But Nationals was a whole step above. Because now as well as the two whole team routines, they had featured dances. Female soloist, Male soloist, the small group dance and a duet round. And tensions always rise when it comes to claiming a spot on a featured dance. It was going to be a lot of work. Blood, sweat and tears kind of work.

But for now, all they could do was sit back and enjoy their win.

"Heaven knows. Speaking of, finish your coffee. We have a party to set up and you're on snack duty. I've got the B-Troupers and J-Troupers coming in with decorations in about 20 minutes."

The Lost Studio is divided into 3 troupes. First, comes J-Troupe. The younger kids, new to a professional dance environment and the hopeful future of the studio. They may move up to B-Troupe, the second highest rank for more recreational dancers and dancers finding their feet. And then, A-Troupe.

A-Troupe is the only troupe of the three who can go to prestigious competitions in the dance world such as Regionals and Nationals. They're the elite representation of the studio. The dancers who get exposure, coverage. It's the first real step to becoming a professional dancer and for most, anything below A-Troupe simply isn't enough.

Eric was about to object before there was a knock on the door of the office. Snow frowned, nobody else was supposed to be here yet. She got up and went to the door, ready to tell the younger dancers that she wasn't ready for them yet before she realised she was met with two very familiar and warm faces.

"Mal, Uma! What are you doing here? The party isn't for another hour or so-"

"Sorry Snow. My Mom dropped us off early and we got bored waiting in the juice bar. We were just wondering if you maybe needed some spare hands?" Mal smiled up at her angelically. She'd been living her best damn life ever since they got that trophy, rubbing it straight into the face of their local rivals, Rhythm Force. And they'd done it under her captaincy as she'd always planned.

And as for Uma, she felt the same. Though, it was sometimes hard to be the Dance Captain's cousin. There were days when Uma had been sick and tried to skip out on dance before Mal had stormed over and threatened to murder her if she didn't make it to rehearsal. She loved her, she did, and she loved dance just as much but it was certainly intense.

* * *

 

Studio A was covered in celebratory decor from floor to ceiling by the time the rest of the team arrived. Balloons. Banners. The whole lot. The party wasn't exactly a surprise, so everyone came dressed up nice, ready to relax and celebrate like they deserved. They were greeted by the lower Troupes with respect and cheers and it just felt good. A massive A3 card was stood up on one of the snack tables, messily covered in glitter and gold calligraphy writing - done by Snow. On the inside was a photo of the team in costume at Regionals with their trophy and a small paragraph of writing underneath.

**To the coolest Troupe ever - Mal (Dance Captain!! <3), Ben, Harry, Uma, Carlos, Lonnie, Freddie, Jane, Chad and Gil;**

**Congratulations on your win! We couldn't be more proud and we'll be supporting you all the way to Nationals. Good luck guys!**

**#TeamTLS**

**\- J-Troupe and B-Troupe**

They presented the card rather ceremonially to Mal, who then took it upon herself to step up to the front and call for a speech. It took a minute for her to shut up the boys but when they'd finally fallen quiet under Snow's stare, she began. "Hello everyone, as most of you know I am the Dance Captain of A-Troupe, Mal." She paused effectively for applause, soaking it in. "I just wanted to say I am so proud of each and every one of you for what you've done. We are moving on to bigger and better things and I know we're going to make this studio proud. Thank you to Snow and Eric for the work they've put in behind the scenes and to all the younger Troupes, keep watching because one day you might just be as good as us. Or even as good as me." She grinned, paused for more applause before handing the floor over to Snow.

"Sorry everyone I won't keep you for too long. Just wanted to throw a quick thank you to Mal and of course the rest of A-Troupe. Your hard work has got you here. I have faith that we can do so much more and this is only the beginning of a beautiful journey. Now, party on!"

Everyone cheered, grabbing drinks, grabbing snacks. It was all chill. Of course, being dancers there were some people trying to start mini competitions or trying to show off new moves.

Dizzy Tremaine and Celia Facilier stood in the corner surrounded by fellow J-Troupers competing to see who could do the most pirouettes in a row. It was surprising considering how young they were, that J-Troupe were arguably one of the most competitive.

“Are you serious?” “Diz won that fair and square.” “Yeah right, you definitely cheated. She started after me!”

Lonnie and Jane, hearing the commotion decided it would be in their best interest to intervene by, of course, getting involved. Lonnie stepped forwards, eyeing down Dizzy’s cocky grin. She was a great dancer for her age but she ought to know her place.

“Right Dizzy. You and me. Let’s go.” She grinned. Dizzy didn’t say anything but didn’t protest, taking position besides Lonnie. Celia counted them down and they both spun off the ground, catching the attention of nearly everyone in the studio. Lonnie made it to about 8 turns before her foot stumbled, bringing her to the ground which caused the cheers from the other J-Troupers and mock heckling and glares from Lonnie’s teammates.

“Watch out Lon, she’s coming for your spot.” Eric called across the room, causing Lonnie to try to hide her blush tinged cheeks.  
“I was totally going easy on her just so we’re all clear.” She objected, lightly smacking Dizzy on the shoulder as she laughed and offering to go for another round.

Jane smiled at her friend, however, her attention was drawn away when she felt a gentle tap on her shoulder. She turned around and came face to face with the person she had hoped to impossibly avoid for the whole of the party.

Carlos.

He was standing there with a gentle, awkward smile on his face, two cups of drink in his hands. He handed one to her which she took graciously, mumbling a small thanks. She couldn’t meet his eyes, fidgeting with the cup and staring at the floor.

“Hey.” He smiled, his expression; soft and sympathetic. Jane kind of hated it. She didn’t say anything, just nodded in acknowledgement. Carlos let out a soft sigh. “Jane, can we talk?”

But before she could answer Lonnie passed by, having given up on the J-Troupers. “Don’t mind me, lovebirds.” She teased, wiggling her eyebrows playfully. She patted Carlos on the shoulder, winked at Jane and walked off to join Mal at the other side of the studio. Carlos laughed awkwardly but Jane still stayed staring at the ground. Nobody knew.

They had been the couple of Regionals. They were the two newbies to the team and it only seemed right to gravitate towards each other, leading to a strong friendship. And other time that friendship naturally just became something more. Everyone else was always commenting on how they’d be perfect for one another. And for a little while, it was great. At least, Jane liked to look back on it and think it was great.

Until one night, Carlos had invited Jane as his date to a mutual friend's party, only to get a little intoxicated and tell her that he wasn't so sure he was actually into women and he had the biggest crush on their aforementioned mutual friend. It broke her heart. But there was nothing she could say. It wasn’t like she could change his mind. It was hurting the both of them to be together so they broke up… except… they didn’t. Jane still cared about him so much and she would never out him to the rest of the team so to everyone else, they were still together. She loved him and he loved her just… not like that. To everyone else, it was like they were two different people entirely. Jane loved to hear stories of the couple who would go on dates and get each other cute gifts, wishing that it was all her reality. But none of it was real and it was suffocating.

Building such a fake relationship with Carlos was damaging their real one too. Jane valued him as a great friend and he saw her as the same but she felt like she couldn’t talk to him about anything anymore. So much had happened in the month between Regionals and now and she was currently living through hell but she couldn’t say a word. Not to anyone. Not to Carlos. She would simply suffer alone.

Carlos took a deep breath and started again. “I just wanted to tell you that, uh, I invited… him to the party.” Jane didn’t say anything. “I mean it’s not that weird or anything because he’s a dancer and he’s been here before and the team knows him. There was even that one time when he came in with B-Troupe to watch us rehearse.”

“Are you two dating now?” She said, taking a small sip of her drink.

Carlos blushed profoundly, taking a quick look around them to guarantee that they were definitely alone. “Well, no. I still don’t know if he’s into guys so I’m just taking it slow and getting to know him I guess.” He felt like he could talk to her about these things without making it awkward. Jane was like his best friend, but he could tell there was just something… off about her. “Are you alr-“

“CAAARLOOOOS! Jay’s here!” Gil suddenly yelled out from across the room. Like Carlos had said, it wasn’t strange for Jay to pop up at the studio. He was friends with most of the guys on A-Troupe, most notably Carlos, and had even helped fill in with dancing once or twice before. Snow and Eric didn’t mind him hanging around at all.

However, Carlos cringed at the timing of it all, he turned around to wave at Jay with a smile, mouthing a quick ‘just a second’ before turning back to Jane. Except, Jane was gone.

He knew they’d have to talk at some point and sort all of this out. Carlos didn’t want to lose her as a friend, not now. He put on a bright smile and turned back to go over to his friends, rolling his eyes as he saw that Jay and Harry had already started the rude yet playful banter.

“Boys are so dumb,” Mal observed, watching from the corner of the room with her drink in hand.

“But what about Ben?” Freddie teased, nudging Mal in the arm causing the girl to promptly roll her eyes. Almost every single day coming in to the studio, Ben had tried to ask Mal to go on a date with him or made an awkward attempt at flirting. It was the most annoying thing in the world. She couldn’t deny that Ben could easily be listed as one of the best dancers in the whole of TLS but did that make him any less unbearable? Hardly. Jane appeared again suddenly, shuffling her way into the small huddle

“I mean, Carlos is a good dancer but he’s a total sheep. Ben is an awkward mess. Gil is an airhead. Chad is a narcissistic douche who thinks about himself and his own goals over the team and don’t you dare get me started on Harry.” Mal continued, narrowing her eyes at the lot of them.

“Why don’t you get Uma started on Harry?” Lonnie teased to which Mal scowled.

“Oh my god Lon, Uma isn’t that dumb. She has standards. Right?” She turned to her cousin expectantly, who had now accidentally caught the eye of the supposed ‘ladies man’, who was now smirking in her direction. Uma glared at him with a roll of her eyes before realising all the other girls were staring at her.

“Wait, what?”

“Harry. Harry is below your standards.”

“Oh, right. Yeah. Obviously.” She replied, still a little out of the conversation. “Just that whole sort of… cocky air about him it’s really not my type.”

Mal seemed to be pleased with this response, turning back to Lonnie with a smug smile. Her smile shortly fell though when she realised the aforementioned boy had swaggered his way towards them, a grin painting his relaxed expression, Ben standing by his shoulder.

“Hi ladies. Can we borrow Miss Trunchbull for a moment? It’s an urgent matter. Isn’t it Ben?” Harry turned to his friend, his eyes alight with playful mischief. Ben, on the other hand, was practically sweating.

“Right. Well… Mal. Basically, you see, my cousin has his birthday party this afternoon but I’m not going because he’s like nine and that would be weird considering all the other guests will uh, also be, uh, nine so I’ve got some free time and I was wondering if maybe you’d like to go with me. Go out with me I mean. Not to my cousin’s birthday party because that would be odd so-” 

Everyone around them was stifling a laugh at this point, including Harry, who supportively clapped his friend on the back. Mal, on the other hand, was not laughing. He had been doing this every day now practically since baby ballet and the boy never seemed to understand that NO meant NO. She folded her arms sternly, glaring up at the boy, whose cheeks were burning scarlet.

“Listen here Ben, as a fellow dancer at this studio I want to tell you that witnessing your consistent attempts at asking me out is annoying. As your _Dance Captain_ , I want to tell you to focus on the damn team. And as a girl, I would prefer if you got out of my sight.” She smiled sweetly, grabbed Lonnie’s arm, and dragged her to the other side of the room.There was a pause before Harry turned to Ben.

“I think that was a no.” He sighed. “Unlucky mate. Try again tomorrow yeah?”

Ben nodded, running his head through his hands before moping over to the drinks table. Harry meanwhile, turned his attention back to the three girls who were left of the supposed formidable five.

* * *

 

_ **THE M** ** GIRLS  ** _

Dance was a competitive world. And Mal was a competitive person. Dance meant everything to her and her position as Dance Captain meant even more. She was in charge of their team, of their destiny. Nothing and nobody was going to take that away from her.

Girls. Sneaky. Cunning. She couldn't have any of them going behind her back or betraying her. They all came one by one, auditioning for A Troupe with bright smiles and twinkly eyes, talking about something blah blah pursuing their dreams. But Mal knew betrayal far too well and it had almost cost her everything. She'd never risk it again. So before Regionals, she'd formed - The M Girls, or The Movement Girls. At least that's what everyone else had said. Mal personally liked to believe it stood for _The Mal Girls_ but that wasn't the point. It was a safety blanket. She knew each one of them inside out and she had protection now. She'd even made friends, she supposed. And besides, there was nothing Mal loved more than a little bit of leadership.

The rules, over 100, some meaningless and some essential;

Rule 1: An M Girl always has another M Girls back. 

Rule 7: An enemy of an M Girl is an enemy of ALL M Girls.

Rule 21: Know the M Girl secret handshake.

Rule 58: Snaking out another M Girl is strictly forbidden.

Rule 101: If you ever see a member of Rhythm Force in public, bash their head in with a crowbar.

And etcetera.

* * *

"Something tells me that if we don't win this we'll never hear the end of it." Harry rolled his eyes playfully, tapping his drinks cup.

"It's been her dream for forever. She's just excited." Uma shrugged, looking over to her cousin. Mal had been restless all summer since Regionals ended, already drawing up line placements and choreographing future routines.

"Riiiight." Harry drawled lazily in response. "Well, sometimes it feels like it's just her going to Regionals instead of the team. I don't think most of us can tolerate another year of dancing to just _her_ music and just _her_ moves-"

"Shove off Hook." Uma interrupted him, grabbing her drink and shoving past him to join her cousin on the other side of the room. He didn't know what he was talking about. He was the one that had to change, not Mal, and Uma was sure of it. She wasn't having someone so insufferable as him ruin their victory party.

Harry shrugged, turning to move back to the rest of the boys when someone else came up beside him.

"Way to play it cool, bro. You're as bad as Ben."

"Shut it Callie." But Harry grinned all the same, affectionately ruffling his little sister's hair.

"Hey! Harry! Jay is trying to jackhammer again!" Gil called out to him, Harry turned away from his sister with a grin, leaving Calista Jane Hook alone with Freddie. Jane was once more nowhere to be seen.  

"Funny seeing you here. I forgot you even went here anymore." Freddie spoke first, her hand clenching around her drink as she put on a smile. CJ laughed, turning her back to the girl as she fiddled with the snack bowls on the nearby table.

"Careful now. A Troupe's gone to your head." She replied coolly, turning back around but not acknowledging the other girl's presence. Holding her head high. Just like she said she would.

"Maybe it has. But it's better than being stuck in B." Freddie shrugged, tossing her hair behind her shoulder.

 _Deep breaths CJ, she's just trying to psych you out. Get a rise out of you. Remember what Harriet said._  

"I'd hardly stay I'm stuck. Doesn't matter where I am as long as I'm improving as a dancer. And I've been working pretty damn hard, thank you." She finally turned to the other girl who was looking right back at her. "I couldn't help but notice you weren't in the turning section of the Regionals performance. Still can't stick a good set of fouettes? Because _that_ sounds like stuck to me."

Freddie had nothing to say to that, and with an air of victory around her, CJ brushed down her dress and pushed past the girl like she wasn't even there.

* * *

It was strange. Tensions had run high enough during Regionals and the stakes of then compared to now seemed only minor. Everyone was smiling and dancing but deep down, there was pressure. A lot of it. And nobody was acknowledging it.

"I mean getting the solo during the Regionals group routine was amazing of course but this is Nationals so I'm looking forward to representing TLS for the male solo round." Chad beamed with pride thought the sentiment didn't seem to be returned.

"That's great and all but you do realise you've got to audition-" Ben frowned

"Oh, I know. I've already got my solo, have you got yours?" He smiled, yet there was no comfort behind it. Ben opened his mouth to reply to that before he was interrupted by Snow, who had stepped up once again.

"Okay, guys! Thank you so much for coming. I think it's only right though that we close this off in style right? How about the number that got us here?"

B-Troupe and J-Troupe cheered and cleared the floor as the ten Regionals A-Troupe dancers stepped forward, easily merging into their positions. The music started playing. This was their moment. To let it all sink in, to be proud. They were ready, they were champions, they were... not moving. 

Because the whole room had stopped dead in their tracks and was now looking towards the entrance door to the studio. A girl was standing there, placed perfectly prim and poised in a floaty pink dress with matching ballet flats, her hair braided in an elegant plait, brown eyes looking out to the dancers with a bright smile. A girl they knew all too well.

Audrey.

The music stopped.

"What the hell do you think you're doing here?" Mal spoke first, breaking out of formation and marching right up to her. 

Audrey laughed sweetly, fiddling with the strap to her dance bag which was slung over her shoulder. "I'm here to audition, silly."

This lead to a chorus of murmurs, some laughs, some catcalling from the boys in B-Troupe. Mal was shocked. "Are you serious? You think you can just waltz in here and ask to _audition_? Sorry sweetheart, we have our team, and you're not on it."

If it had been anyone else maybe Mal would have reacted less hostile. But this wasn't just anyone casually strolling into **their** victory party and asking for a taste. No, this was Audrey. A Rhythm Force member, as well as the Rhythm Force Dance Captain. Heck her dad even owned the team. Not that Snow and Eric would ever let Mal go through with it but it was a shame she didn't have a crowbar on her right now. "I'll credit you on the nerve you have for showing up here. But I honestly can't believe you have the audacity, after we literally just crushed you in the finals, to come here and ask to audition. We're not even holding auditions. Bye-bye now."

Audrey laughed again, not backing down. "But of course you are."

"Excuse me?"

"You won Regionals. Which means you have the right to host 'The Challenge'. Every winning studio at Regionals does, it's the only way to ensure that you have the best team for Nationals. The Studio Heads reaudition the whole team and dancers from other studios, like me, come all this way just for the chance to make it to Nationals. You end up with the strongest team in the Region."

"Oh please. We already have the strongest team. I have every right to call you out for making this up, now if you would please leave-" Mal started before Snow stepped forward.

"She's actually telling the truth. We had the choice to do it last time we made it to Nationals but we decided against it." 

Audrey turned smugly back to Mal, looking her over. "See."

Mal rolled her eyes right back at the girl, matching her stance. She could already smell trouble and she wasn't about to let Little Miss Malicious get in the way of everything she had worked for. "Are you deaf twinkle toes? Ms Snow said _they didn't do it_."

"And I don't remember your team getting very far in that competition." Audrey fired back with ease. 

Harry was in the background, trying to film this exchange, (to which Uma promptly knocked his phone out of his hand).

"I think we've heard what you had to say. You can go back to your Anti-Christ coven now." Mal waved mockingly, gesturing towards the studio doors. Audrey hesitated for a moment, before turning on her heel, calling out as she went.

"Fine. But you all need me."

Mal scoffed, the rest of the studio joining her in heckling her as she left. This studio was no place for a member of Rhythm Force. Not now, not ever. "Right then, now that that's out of the way-"

"I think we should do it," Eric said suddenly, causing everyone to turn around and look at him in bewilderment.

"Do what?" "The Challenge?!" "That's crazy.." "It's unfair!" 

"MAYBE," He raised his voice to start, causing everyone to quiet once more, "I just think that this is... an interesting proposition. Do you need us to stress any further just how big this competition is? There were thirty-two teams at Regionals and there's going to be double that at Nationals so if you're afraid of losing your spot then maybe you need to learn to fight for it. Do you want to win?"

There was a mumbled chorus of 'yes'.

"I'll ask you again, do we want to win?"

"Yes." More sure this time. 

Mal was furious. There was no way they were about to let a bunch of randoms and rejects into their studio. It was just going to be a bunch of people hungry for talent scouts, hungry for fame. They didn't need that on the team. This was going to divide them even further. 

Jay meanwhile was looking extremely excited. He turned to Carlos. "Dude, if TLS did The Challenge then we could properly dance together. I could go to Nationals with you guys." 

Carlos smiled at this, though he couldn't ignore the lost Jane that he saw standing alone in the corner of his eye. "That would be amazing, Jay."

CJ was smirking directly at Freddie. Some of the B-Troupers had started sizing one another up. Uma was trying to subdue her own personal panic. This was Snow and Eric's perfect chance to just kick her off the team. This could be the end of everything...

"Okay, everyone." Snow clapped her hands together for order, calming the crowd. "Everyone in favour of The Lost Studio hosting The Challenge... please raise your hand." 

It was almost unanimous. Not that the opinions of J-Troupe and B-Troupe mattered much compared to the actual A-Troupe, but all of them except Mal, Uma, Freddie and Chad had their hands raised. And that meant the majority was for. To add on to that it didn't exactly seem like Snow or Eric were super opposed to the idea either. So that meant that it was happening.

They were going to shake up the whole team.

And Mal had a feeling that her perfect vision of Nationals was about to get flipped upside down.  

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaa! I've finally got around to writing this after all the amazing reception @ifonlymalvie and I received on tumblr. (Her A03 account is aquasviolet, she's got this amazing Evie and Harry switch AU with Huma and Malvie so go check her out!) 
> 
> The headcanons we made out of this AU were really exciting so we decided to turn it into a full blown story. Let me know what you think and if you know the show it's based on, guess who's inspired by who :) This whole first chapter was just sort of setting ground and teasing a lot of the different individual plotlines so sorry if it's a little messy and all. Thanks for reading!  
> PS: If you're missing a certain someone whose name rhymes with Stevie, don't you worry, the real drama begins next chapter ;)
> 
> my tumblr: @thomasdohertyy


	2. The Challenge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The former members of the A-Troupe Regionals team come together in a bid to fight for their spot on the Nationals team. Everything seems to be going according to Mal's plan until an unexpected arrival threatens to throw her ideal team off balance.

Uma didn't have much time left.

It was making her nervous, watching the clock go by, waiting. There was nothing she could do now except stretch, take deep breaths and count to ten. And perhaps wish for a miracle. 

She had been lucky enough to convince her aunt to drive her and Mal to the studio earlier than usual so she could find an empty room and practise, not like they actually knew what Snow and Eric had in store for them. Mal had offered to come and help her but her calm, collected manner was making Uma even more nervous and she'd politely declined before rushing off to Studio B. She'd been there for about an hour now, but so much was weighing on her mind. It was important, more now than ever, to be focused. To be in the zone. But she was a million miles away.

Uma was convinced this was going to be the last time she danced at this studio. What was she supposed to do? Move down to B-Troupe? That was... humiliating. She didn't want to come to dance with her cousin every day only to watch as she happily skipped off to Studio A to work towards going to Nationals whilst she sat and watched the recreational kids clown about rather than actually dance. Because Mal would make it through. She was sure of that. As a matter of fact, Uma would bet on her being Dance Captain for another year too. 

But herself? She wasn't so sure.

She stretched her hamstrings, breathing in and out slowly. All she could do was her best. She wanted this more than anything and no matter about her or thought about her she knew she deserved a place on the team. She was prepared to fight for this.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the door to Studio B swinging open, Mal standing with her hand on the door handle, hip cocked expectantly. "Everyone's here. You need to sign in with Snow and Eric."

This was everything. 

* * *

Snow knew that The Challenge was an appealing concept. It offered dancers who had lost at Regionals the chance to be on a winning team. The chance to go to the prestigious competition that was Nationals and the chance to get exposure. There were scouts at these competitions and unlike Regionals, Nationals has specific featured dances. But she hadn't exactly expected the turnout that they got.

There were dancers from across the whole Region, B-Troupe, even a few dancers that nobody recognised. The tension in the room was heavy and daunting, like an astray pack in competition for food. Everyone was hungry and there were only 10 spots. It seemed to hit home that the team that got them to where they were now may not be the team that took them on further.

Everyone was spread out across Studio A, noticeable spaces between each dancer, each one looking deadly, determined, focused. At the moment people were just arriving, stretching or signing in at the makeshift reception Snow had set up next to her office. Although most of them had been excited for taking on a new challenge, the original A-Troupe were starting to feel the pressure. Studio A had never felt so small.

Mal was giving pep talks to her M Girls in one corner of the room whilst the boys psyched each other up in the other, with the exception of one. Positioned at the side of the studio performing rises at the barre, was Chad Charming. 

He hadn't spoken to anyone since he'd arrived at the studio, drilling his brain into a state of permanent focus. He was warmed up, stretched, eager and ready to go and nothing could deter him. 

"Hey, Chad."

Gil, on the other hand, was a little more relaxed than Chad. It's what he was known for, taking on a 'don't even worry about it' stance on most things. It made him pretty great company, his calming and gentle vibes soothing tension with ease. But for someone like Chad, it was just annoying. It was like the stakes that rested on everyone else's shoulders were merely brushing Gil by. Like he had no understanding of the consequences of his actions if things went wrong. There had been a moment back at Regionals when as a team, they almost lost everything, and Chad could remember the infuriatingly relaxed expression on Gil's face as he told the team that everything was going to be okay. That wasn't good enough for Chad. They had had a lucky escape that day, but positive demeanours weren't going to be enough for them to beat out the rest of the country.

Chad turned to face the boy, drawing in a sharp breath.

"Hello."

"Are you doing alright? You look a little tense... nervous?" Gil smiled, stretching out his own arms. Chad stared at him in bewilderment, his eyebrows knitted together in confusion. 

"Excuse me? Are you like... trying to psych me out right now?" Chad stopped his rises, eyeing Gil with caution, who simply laughed. Chad ignored him, determined not to let his mindset be disturbed by him. He spread himself out on the floor, flexing his feet and performing a few more simple stretches, before getting into a butterfly stretch. He bounced his legs up and down, holding his feet together, breathing in and out slowly. His eyes closed, wishing and willing for a few more moments of peace. But when he opened his eyes, Gil was in front of him, doing the exact same stretch with him. 

"Nope. I'm just asking. Quite a lot of pressure today. I think everyone just needs to take a moment to breathe-"

"Are you serious?" Chad snapped, making Gil jump. "I was taking my moment before you came over here and got in my space. Jesus, are you thick? It's like you're not even remotely worried right now. Maybe if your attitude towards this is so relaxed and recreational you should leave now and go back to B-Troupe, Gil."

He didn't mean to be so harsh, the anger falling from his face. There was a lot riding on this audition and Gil sauntering over with his carefree attitude had just been a bit much today. He opened his mouth to perhaps apologise before Gil cut him off with another bright smile, getting up and brushing himself down.

"Make sure you take that moment then. Good luck Chad! You're an amazing dancer, I'm sure you'll do great." He waved, before jogging back over to the other boys, leaving Chad to stand there, a bit perplexed. But there was no time to dwell on it.

At that moment, Snow and Eric came out of Snow's office, clipboards in hand. Both wore intimidating expressions, scanning the crowd ahead, who all quietened and herded together at the front to hear them speak.

"Alright you guys, this is serious stuff here, A-Troupe auditions. I'm sure I don't need to remind you exactly what's at stake here." Snow smiled, eyeing some of the members of the Regionals team. "It's really nice to see so many of you here. All of our Regional team members, lots of the dancers from B-Troupe and of course we welcome some dancers from extremely commendable backgrounds and studios. I think we've got some serious competition on our hands." She paused for applause. 

At the mention of other studios, Mal sent a sharp glare to the other side of the room, where Audrey was standing. She found it ridiculous that despite their protests, Snow and Eric were allowing her to audition for A-Troupe. This wasn't the kind of drama they could carry on their shoulders going forward and Mal could smell trouble from a mile away. Audrey was standing there, a genuinely excited expression on her face, mingling with some of the other dancers, cheering. But she had to be bad news. Mal was sure of it.

"Let's run over how this is going to work." Eric stepped forward, gaining the attention of the room. "We're going to give you 5 minutes extra prep and stretch time, based on the fact that most of you should have stretched already, and then straight into freestyle solos. We call your name, you come forward, you dance. It's simple. After that, Snow and I are going to bring it down to twenty of you who will then move on to a choreo round, done by moi. Out of those twenty, we'll get our ten-person team. Clear?"

"Crystal." The original A-Troupe clapped back without hesitation. It was just a little back and forth exchange they had set in stone with Eric, and Mal enjoyed watching the mostly intimidated reactions of the dancers from other studios. She wanted to make them as uncomfortable as possible. This was the team who had got them to this position so if they thought they could just waltz on in here and snatch a place, they'd have to think again. 

* * *

Lonnie, who had arrived early and stretched in advance, was stood watching everyone else, chewing her lip in thought. She saw Jay come up beside her in the corner of her eye but didn't acknowledge him until he spoke first.

"Heya Lon." He grinned to which she smiled back, though her heart wasn't in it. "You alright?"

"Yeah..." She hummed, turning to him. "Do you think I should do acro?" 

He frowned, eyeing her carefully as if she were confused or ill. "Isn't acro like... your main style? You're like the most flexible person I know. Of course you should do acro, you're incredible." He chuckled as if she had been joking but his answer didn't seem to satisfy her.

"I know but like... I don't think that's what they want to see. I think they'd rather have really technical dancers on the team for Nationals and I've never really shown myself off before like that. I've been working on my contemporary a little over the break and I want to show them I'm proficient and can handle it ya know?" Lonnie sighed, fiddling with her fingers. She was easily the strongest acro dancer of the studio, (the only other dancers being relatively close to her skill in the style being Carlos and Harry) by far the most flexible, and perhaps the only dancer who actually considered acro to be her dominant style. It was what set her apart from everyone else. But already she could see dancers from other studios showing off some pretty impressive tricks to their friends across the room as well as some core technique. She didn't want Snow and Eric to consider her as replaceable. 

"I mean... at the end of the day it's up to you, but don't sell your existing talents short, I guess." He shrugged, giving her a quick reassuring pat on the back. "Good luck."

Despite the admittedly intimidating amount of dancers from other studios, there were also quite a lot of hopeful B-Troupe's, hoping to make their way up in the world.  Especially those like CJ, who perhaps had their eye on a particular person's spot. Or there were those like Arabella. As Eric's niece-in-law, she liked to believe she had some kind of unspoken advantage, although that couldn't be further from the truth. It just meant that Eric knew how much of a nightmare she was to work with on a personal level. Especially when her only motivation to make it on to the Nationals team was to reconcile with her ex-boyfriend, none other than Harry Hook. The two had been in B-Troupe together and dated for a short while until they both auditioned for A-Troupe. Harry made it through and she obviously did not, leading him to break up with her due to his serious commitment to A-Troupe and the fact that well... he didn't really have feelings for her. He'd moved on, however, Arabella certainly had not. 

It was painfully insufferable for everyone to watch her as she kept moving closer to be near an oblivious Harry. Her stretches, obnoxious. Even faking sneezes and yawns. Anything to get him to notice her. But ironically, with every attempt she made for him to see, it was like she became more invisible. 

Eric clapped his hands together once more, everyone spreading out so they created a sort of audience around the studio, all turned to face the mirror wall at the front. He put on some music, something rather generic but dancey. Something that you could interpret and work with however you liked and however you danced. Blasting through the speakers, letting everyone channel it. Feel it. This was their moment. Their time. 

They couldn't mess this up. 

"MAL!"

Of course, they'd start off with her. She didn't mind, eager to show each and every onlooker just what they were up against. Her turns, flawless. Her extension, admirable. Her flexibility, insane. Her moves were nothing new or surprising, the classic Mal that everyone knew and most people loved. Though her dominant style was contemporary it was the jazzy spin that she took upon it that made her dancing unique, everyone around her clapping in time with the rhythm and further fuelling her fire. This was her year and right now there was nobody in that studio except her and her mirror reflection.

Uma watched on at her cousin in admiration, cheering louder than anyone else. She'd always looked towards Mal when it came to dancing, aspired to be at her level of confidence and professionalism. She would never admit it but it was a battle of loving and hating watching her cousin dance. She loved watching her so focused, so intent and happy. It was clear that dance was what Mal was made to do. But having someone right there beside you who you couldn't stop comparing yourself too? It dealt a few blows to Uma's confidence. 

She didn't have much time to dwell on her thoughts though because the next thing she knew and her name was being called and just like that she was centre stage. There was one trick she had up her sleeve that set her apart from her cousin any day. Uma could easily fuse hip-hop into her own contemporary dancing. It wasn't her strongest style but she'd been working hard and it was paying off. She danced her own way and that was something anyone could admire. Especially because she was pretty damn good at it. Being out there in front of everyone wasn't as bad as she dreaded, because for just a moment when she could actually tune herself in with her dancing it was like those insecurities melted away. It was like Snow and Eric weren't there watching her. It was like Regionals never happened.

She was just Uma doing what she did best. And that made her feel good. 

* * *

The solos went on for quite a while, Snow and Eric reluctant to stop people. Everyone was good but good didn't feel good enough. People were pulling out their best tricks, their best combos, their best moves. Every single card was out on the table here and it was all to play for. Their reactions and expressions were undecipherable and no matter how hard she tried, Mal couldn't tell what they were thinking.

Harry flipped off a wall, Jay flipped off of Harry, Gil did a rather extensive headslide from one wall to the other. Carlos came up with a power solo, throwing himself out there and trying acro and contemporary moves he'd never shown off before. Jane and Chad both presented a perfect mix of ballet and contemporary, with Jane even trying out a few lyrical movements. But with every move an A-Troupe dancer threw out on the floor, a dancer from a rival studio tried to come back harder.

Lonnie decided to opt for the toned-down acro approach. She still showcased her flexibility but put more turning and leaps than she would usually do in her choreography. CJ was performing at the best she'd ever danced, her brother and his friends hyping her up which only drove her determination to its maximum. Almost the whole studio went wild as she executed three perfect 'illusions' in a row, something even Harry didn't know she could do. Freddie watched on, unsure what to think. It made her a little sick to her stomach just thinking about how determined CJ looked to take her spot. Audrey then swooped in with an impressive jazz-lyrical performance. She was a born performer, all about the lights and the show, her aura; fierce and determined.

"She's amazing..." Jane mumbled, watching on. She, too, was feeling the pressure of The Challenge by now. It was fun whilst you were dancing and you could feel the energy of the room. When you could pretend that everyone was just there to feel that vibe and do what they loved - dance. But once you were out of that euphoric moment it was easy to remind yourself that this was a competition. And a fierce one at that.

"Oh please." Mal rolled her eyes. "She's got a serious case of lyrical eyebrows."

Ben came last. Despite Mal's insistence at staying away from him, she had to admit, Ben was an incredible dancer. Arguably, one of the best at the whole studio. He could master almost any style, his dedication was admirable, his skill and technique were practically perfect. He carried himself with such emotion and expertise that it was refreshing and addicting to anyone, no matter how many times you had watched him dance before. He was graceful yet powerful. Strong but fragile. Lost in what he was doing but also clear on where to go. It was art, truly. She needed him on her team for Nationals if they wanted to have any hope of winning.

Finally, the dancing came to a close, everyone cheering and hollering loudly. Snow shook her head in disbelief, clapping along with them, her clipboard tucked under her arm. All that could be seen from it were headshots and a million tiny little scribbled notes.

"You guys! What the hell?!" This lead to further cheering. "I am literally in shock right now, you guys are incredible. Eric and I definitely need to talk this over right now but we'll get back to you as soon as we can-"

"The auditions are in here right?"

Everyone turned around to look at the studio doors. A girl was standing there, expectantly, wearing light washed ripped jeans and a white shirt, bluish-black hair flowing down from her shoulders in gentle waves. She held her dance bag on her arm, relaxed expression on her face. Mal had never seen her before and it definitely didn't seem like anyone from the other studios knew her either so who exactly was she? And why was she here? To her, this new girl was radiating arrogance. Showing up late and interrupting the Studio Head as she was addressing the auditionees. This was worse than Audrey's surprise entrance. It would be her first job as Dance Captain of the Nationals team to suggest locking the doors when something important was going on. Or at least put a sign up. There was no way that Snow and Eric were going to let whoever she was get away with this.

But all of a sudden Snow was walking over to her. And then they were talking. And Snow was smiling. And she was escorting her into the office, Eric telling everyone to stay put as he joined them. 

"You cannot be serious." Mal huffed, glaring at the trio through the clear walls of Snow's office. She wasn't sure what it was about this new girl that was particularly infuriating, but there was something. 

"Do you recognise her?" Audrey piped up suddenly. Usually, Mal would have blown her off or ignored her but somehow Audrey was suddenly the least of her concerns.

"No. But I don't like her and she's only been here for two minutes." She rolled her eyes. Audrey frowned, looking back and forth between Mal and the new girl, eyebrows drawing together in frustrated concentration. "What's up with you?" Mal scoffed at her funny expression.

"Well, nothing just... she looks... _really_ familiar."

Mal thought nothing of it, shrugging. "Well. Let's all pray that she's famous or something so we can list her as a professional dancer and register her as invalid to compete. Christ, I've had enough of this." She tossed her hair back over her shoulder, marching over to the office. Respectfully, she knocked on the doorframe before stepping inside, putting on the sweetest smile she could muster.

"Ah! Mal. Perfect timing actually." Snow smiled at her, gesturing towards the raven-haired girl. "Mal, I'd like for you to meet Evie. She's just moved here from across the country and she's going to be auditioning for A-Troupe today."

She wasn't even from their region. Mal was pretty much convinced that Snow and Eric were high or something because letting a random pretty-faced girl in here with most likely no experience was completely out of character for the both of them. Mal smiled, all the same, sticking out a hand which 'Evie' took with a grateful smile. 

"Wow! A-Troupe? That's pretty exciting. I've been the Dance Captain for two years now so like, I totally get it. It's a really great team." 

If Evie, Snow or Chris picked up on her not-so-warm tone then they decided not to mention it. Instead, the new girl smiled enthusiastically.

"Really? That's so cool, I actually used to be Dance Captain at my old studio."

Snow and Eric exchanged rather impressed looks which only made Mal's blood boil further. Her grip on Evie's hand tightened before she dropped it promptly, her smile now anything but sweet. She could see right through this girl. 

"Well, then you better go get changed. You've got lots of people waiting to watch." Mal tried not to scoff. She hadn't even shown up in her dancewear. If she didn't already despise her, she might just feel sorry for the girl and the embarrassment she was about to put herself through. 

Evie seemed to catch on to the tone at that, her eyes narrowed as she picked up her bag, feeling the tension in the room escalate. "See you out there." 

Mal smiled at Snow and Eric before turning back around and walking out, keeping herself calm, holding her head high, mumbling under her breath. _"Would Evie fit in at The Lost Studio? Yeah. If she were in B-Troupe..."_

* * *

Mal was honestly expecting a trainwreck. After all, she'd already shown up acting like one. She was completely unprofessional and Mal believed without a shadow of a doubt that this girl had no clue as to what the professional dance world was like. She stood with Uma, arms linked together, looking on with a smirk as Evie took her place in the centre of the room. 

They played the same music as before and almost the second it turned on she came to life. Every step, animated, precise. She was engaged with not only the music but the people around her, completely owning the space. Her style, a blended mix of jazz and contemporary. 

Just like Mal.

She could tumble from one side of the room to the other, her hair flying about loose and wild as she perfectly landed intermediate aerials. Her switch leaps were high and her technique was at an exemplary level. Her dancing was fuelled with a passion that seemed to tell its own story, body not missing a beat of the music. She was pulling out all kinds of moves that nobody had really seen before, expertly crafted combos performed with ease. Everyone cheered along but Mal was lost for words. 

Sure, everyone else could appreciate a great dancer but at that moment all she saw was a threat. All she saw was someone trying to ruin what had been perfect up until this moment. And when the song came to a stop and the room was deafened with applause, all Mal could feel was dread. 

She felt Audrey appear at her side again, hoping her poker face hadn't fallen entirely. She slipped back on her mask, unaffected, unbothered. "What is it twinkle toes?" Mal sighed, uninterested in whatever Audrey had to say at this point. 

Or at least, she thought.

"I remember her now." Audrey pulled up a Google image search on her phone. Similar listings of professional photos taken at some sort of prizegiving ceremony, which upon further inspection, Mal noted was the awards ceremony from the previous Nationals. Mal almost choked, her head spinning once she clocked what Audrey had been trying to draw her attention to.

"She's last years Miss Nationals Soloist."

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there's Evie everyone! Thank you so much for your positive reaction and feedback to the first chapter, it made me so happy and I'm so excited to develop this story and each of these characters. This chapter is a little more focused than the first but there's still plenty of interesting subplots to go around. With only ten spots on the A-Trope team it's going to get quite fiery from here on out. Let me know what you think :)


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